


Night of the Disgruntled Halloween Customers

by girlsarewolves



Series: the hubs’ collection [25]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Halloween, Post Season 3, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-10 09:09:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19903282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsarewolves/pseuds/girlsarewolves
Summary: Halloween, 1985, and Steve and Robin are stuck on night shift at the video store.





	Night of the Disgruntled Halloween Customers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheYearOfTheWolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheYearOfTheWolf/gifts).



> It is never too early to write Halloween related fic. Also I love Erica, I don't know if I got her character down right, but I tried my best.

* * *

Hawkins experienced a heatwave that October, as if everything they went through during summer wasn't traumatic enough. Sweating on Halloween got added to the long list of grievances 1985 had dealt them so far.

The fact that people were flocking to the video store in droves - even more than expected - as an alternative for their costumed plans to run amok in the streets, ever eager to ignore the scandal still surrounding their town, was shit icing on the shit cake. It wasn't that Steve resented having to work on Halloween instead of being able to go party as a bachelor - although he did, just a little - and he knew it was going to be a madhouse clamor for horror movies and dealing with the inevitable onslaught of,  _ 'What do you  _ **_mean_ ** _ you don't have any more copies of Halloween at seven p.m. on Halloween night?!' _ and other such complaints screeched at his and Robin's faces. 

But he did maybe kind of want to call it an early night, slip into the back with Robin, and watch their stealthily hidden copy of Halloween while Keith dealt with all the 'I want to speak to your manager!' customers idling around like they lived for this shit, like they were happy they got to complain and get a coupon or free alternative or whatever, and were in fact hoping that chance would rise up like the undead on All Hallow's Eve.

Instead Keith made it clear that there was not going to be an early night, they were there until eleven, and they would field every single complaint and request for a manager before coming to get him, while he kept stocking up the snacks and putting the bottom of the barrel horror movies out, knowing eventually people would crack and cave and rent those C and D titles until absolutely nothing even remotely spooky was left on the shelves.

Erica had already asked for their manager three times. 

Keith had given them a look that promised immediate termination if they give Erica any indication he might have any more authority than they did.

“You’re not even a full head above this counter, even if he was here, our manager wouldn’t let you rent these without a parent present,” Robin explained, again, on the third appearance of their favorite preteen terror.

“And if it was Lucas up here instead of me, would you rent them to him and his loser friends?” Erica interrogated, hands on her hips, and a look of  _ ‘say yes, I dare you’ _ on her face. “Cause that’s double standards right there.”

“A, Lucas is a few years older than you,” Steve interjected. “And B - Lucas, well, he’s seen some shit. And he’s a…”

“A what? A boy? That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it? That’s discrimination, that is sexism. I want your manager.  _ Now _ . And for the record, I’ve seen some shit now too, thanks to you two bozos and your adopted doofus.”

Robin groaned, forehead on the countertop. “She’s got us there, Doofus.”

  
  


“No - no she doesn’t.” 

  
  


Erica folded her arms. Robin turned her head to the side, though it remained pressed to the counter.

  
  


“Okay, fine, maybe she has us there.” Steve sighed and picked up the three VHS cases Erica had handed over. He’d never heard of any of them, but all of them were rated R. “Okay, fine - but we’re putting them on my account, and you better not let it get back to any parents.”

  
  


Erica grinned. “That’s better. And if they disappoint, I get them free of charge, right?”

  
  


Robin and Steve just looked at her, blank-faced and silent. 

  
  


“Hey, customer satisfaction is very important, is it not?” She leaned onto the counter then, her smirk fading a little. “I just want to scare Angela Whitmore, okay? She keeps saying she saw the stuff that happened at the mall and nothing can scare her now, and it drives me up. The. Wall.”

Robin perked up at that.

  
  


Steve even perked up a little.

  
  


“Really? Okay, then these are not the movies you want,” Robin said, moving away from her spot at the counter and walking over to the remains of the horror section. She perused the underwhelming movies they had left, picking out a couple that while maybe not Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th, were pretty decent knockoffs. “Here. These should do the trick.” 

  
  


Erica’s face lit up and she grinned, practically cackling as she bounced in place while Steve rung up the films. “Excellent! If they fail though, I’m coming for you personally.” She was beaming even while she spoke, undermining the legitimacy of her threat.

  
  


“Oh, I believe you,” Robin replied anyway - and yeah, it was probably true.

  
  


Erica had been bugging them since day one at the video store. At this point, it was simply a part of their routine. 

  
  


And Keith continued to keep her off his managerial scent.

  
  


They waved her off, readying themselves for the next rush of costumed customers who had mostly come there after trying that whole trick or treat thing only to decide sweating to death in their outfits was just not worth the melted candy. This time it was a clan of Universal Monsters and a couple witches, with a mother who was eyeing what little was left of their ‘kid friendly’ spooky selection.

  
  


Steve and Robin exchanged looks, took deep breaths, and braced for the complaints they could already see brewing in the red-cheeked, sweat-damp mother’s face.

  
  


1985 could officially suck it.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I work in customer service, can you tell?


End file.
